Gerbera plant named ‘Garheart’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Gerbera  plant named ‘Garheart’, characterized by its compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit; dense and bushy appearance; numerous inflorescences with dark pink-colored ray florets; upright and strong scapes; and good garden performance and relatively tolerant to cold temperatures.

Botanical designation: Gerbera hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘GARHEART’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Gerbera plant, botanically known as Gerbera hybrida and hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name ‘Garheart’.

The new Gerbera plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in De Kwakel, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact garden Gerbera plants with numerous attractive inflorescences, resistant to cold temperatures and good garden performance.

The new Gerbera plant originated from a cross-pollination made during the spring of 2010 in De Kwakel, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number 07T092, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with a proprietary selection of Gerbera hybrida identified as code number 05T236, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Gerbera plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands during the summer of 2011.

Asexual reproduction of the new Gerbera plant by cuttings in a controlled environment in De Kwakel, The Netherlands since the summer of 2011 has shown that the unique features of this new Gerbera plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Gerbera have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Garheart’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Garheart’ as a new and distinct Gerbera plant:

-   -   1. Compact, broadly upright and uniformly mounding plant habit.     -   2. Dense and bushy appearance.     -   3. Numerous inflorescences with dark pink-colored ray florets.     -   4. Upright and strong scapes.     -   5. Good garden performance and relatively tolerant to cold         temperatures.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have slightly smaller         inflorescences than plants of the female parent selection.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera have shorter flower scapes than         plants of the female parent selection.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are lighter pink in         color than ray florets of plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of the male parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have slightly larger inflorescences         than plants of the male parent selection.     -   2. Ray florets of plants of the new Gerbera are darker pink in         color than ray florets of plants of the male parent selection.

Plants of the new Gerbera can be compared to plants of the Gerbera hybrida ‘Gardreams’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 26,636. Plants of the new Gerbera differ from plants of ‘Gardreams’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Gerbera have slightly smaller         inflorescences with slightly smaller discs (centers) than plants         of ‘Gardreams’.     -   2. Plants of the new Gerbera and ‘Gardreams’ differ slightly in         ray floret color as plants of ‘Gardreams’ have red         purple-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Gerbera plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Gerbera plant.

The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Garheart’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the autumn and winter in 15-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in De Kwakel, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial garden Gerbera production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 10° C. to 16° C. and night temperatures averaged 10° C. Plants were six months old when the photographs were taken and 17 weeks old when the description was taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2007 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Gerbera hybrida ‘Garheart’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number 07T092, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Proprietary selection of Gerbera             hybrida identified as code number 05T236, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—By cuttings and by tissue culture.         -   Time to initiate roots, by cuttings, summer and             winter.—About 3.5 weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, by tissue culture, summer and             winter.—About 2.5 to 3 weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, by cuttings, summer             and winter.—About 3.5 weeks at temperatures about 20° C. to             26° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, by tissue culture,             summer and winter.—About five to six weeks at temperatures             about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fibrous; white in color. -   Plant description:     -   -   Appearance.—Herbaceous perennials that are typically grown             as container or garden plants; compact and uniformly             mounding plant habit, broadly upright and roughly globular             in shape; numerous leaves arranged in basal rosettes and             outwardly arching; dense and bushy habit; inflorescences             held above the foliar plane on erect and strong basal             scapes; low vigor to moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of foliar plane.—About 19.8             cm.         -   Plant height, soil level to top of inflorescences.—About             36.3 cm.         -   Plant width.—About 44.4 cm. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 17.9 cm.         -   Width.—About 8.8 cm.         -   Shape.—Elliptic to narrowly obovate; runcinate.         -   Apex.—Obtuse.         -   Base.—Acuminate.         -   Margin.—Coarsely and irregularly angulate; sinuses             divergent; undulate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Sparsely pubescent along main vein.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Densely tomentose.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to between             141B and 143A. Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to             138A to 138B. Fully expanded leaves, upper surface: Close to             N137B to N137C; venation, close to 144A. Fully expanded             leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B; venation, close to             144B.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 8.5 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Texture, upper surface: Sparsely pubescent. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately to densely pubescent. Color, upper and             lower surfaces: Close to 144A to 144B tinged with close to             176C to 176D. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Composite inflorescence form with             oblanceolate-shaped ray florets; solitary inflorescences             borne on upright and strong scapes and held above the foliar             plane; ray and disc florets arranged acropetally on a             capitulum.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Flowering season.—Plants begin flowering about three months             after planting; under garden conditions in The Netherlands,             plants flower from spring to late summer; plants can be             flowered year-round in the greenhouse.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Depending on the temperature,             inflorescences last about two to four weeks on the plant;             inflorescences not persistent.         -   Quantity of inflorescences.—Freely flowering habit with             about eleven open and developing inflorescences per plant at             one time.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 2.3 cm. Diameter: About             1.9 cm. Shape: Flattened ovate. Color: Close to between 137B             and 143A; immature ray florets, close to 150C.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 6.3 cm. Depth (height):             About 2.8 cm. Diameter of disc: About 2.2 cm. Receptacle             height: About 3 mm. Receptacle diameter: About 4 mm.         -   Receptacle color.—Close to 145D.         -   Ray florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 50 per             inflorescence arranged in about two whorls. Orientation:             About 55° from vertical. Length: About 3.3 cm. Width: About             8 mm. Shape: Oblanceolate. Apex: Finely emarginate to finely             praemorse. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire. Texture, upper             surface: Smooth, glabrous; velvety; slightly longitudinally             ridged. Texture, lower surface: Smooth, glabrous; slightly             velvety; longitudinally ridged. Color: When opening, upper             surface: Close to 52A. When opening, lower surface: Close to             149C to 149D. Fully opened, upper surface: Close to 52A to             52B; color becoming closer to 52C and apex, close to 52C to             52D, with development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to             149C to 149D tinged with close to 52D; color becoming closer             to 49D tinged with close to 50D with development.         -   Disc florets.—Quantity and arrangement: About 150 massed at             center of receptacle. Length: About 1.5 cm. Width: About             3.5 mm. Shape: Tubular with upper three lobes free at the             apex. Apex: Obtuse; upper 40%, free. Base: Lower 60%, fused.             Margin, free lobes: Entire. Texture, upper and lower             surfaces: Smooth, glabrous. Color, prior to opening: Apex:             Close to 150D. Mid-section: Close to 157D. Base: Close to             150D. Color, when opening and fully opened: Apex: Close to             NN155D strongly tinged with close to 62C to 62D.             Mid-section: Close to 155C. Base: Close to 157D.         -   Pappus.—Quantity of hairs per floret: About 50. Length:             About 8 mm. Diameter: Less than 1 mm. Texture: Soft. Color:             Close to 155A.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity and arrangement: About 50 per             inflorescence arranged in about three whorls. Length: About             1.8 cm. Width (at base): About 2.5 mm. Shape: Lanceolate.             Apex: Narrowly acute. Base: Cuneate. Margin: Entire.             Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture, lower             surface: Moderately tomentose. Color, upper surface: Close             to 144A. Color, lower surface: Close to 143C.         -   Scapes.—Length: About 32.3 cm. Diameter: Proximally, about 5             mm; distally, about 4 mm. Angle: About 10° from vertical.             Strength: Strong. Texture: Densely tomentose. Color:             Proximally, close to 144A tinged with close to 177B;             distally, close to 143A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium (present on disc florets             only): Quantity per floret: Five. Filament length: About             7 mm. Filament color: Close to 155D. Anther shape:             Lanceolate. Anther length: About 4 mm. Anther color: Close             to 11A. Pollen amount: Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 15A.             Gynoecium (present only on ray florets): Quantity per             floret: One. Pistil length: About 1.25 cm. Stigma shape:             Cleft. Stigma color: Close to 155B. Style length: About             1.2 cm. Style color: Close to NN155D. Ovary color: Close to             155A.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit production has not been             observed on plants of the new Gerbera. -   Disease & pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common     to Gerbera plants has not been observed on plants of the new Gerbera     grown under commercial production conditions. -   Garden performance: Plants of the new Gerbera have been observed to     have good garden performance and to tolerate high temperatures about     35° C. and to be cold hardy to USDA Hardiness Zone 7. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Gerbera plant named ‘Garheart’ as illustrated and described. 